A president remembered

On Saturday, the United States lost a great leader, politician and man in Ronald Wilson Reagan. To generations of conservatives, he was the embodiment of all that could be great about our politics. More importantly, to generations of Americans, he was the embodiment of all that could be great about America and its government.\nRonald Reagan was an idealist. His ideas, borrowed heavily from Senator Barry Goldwater, energized the conservative movement and revitalized back to American life. His Midwestern, down-to-earth demeanor and innate toughness brought hope and pride back to an America desperately needing it. His steadfast determination and sense of rightness allowed for a new dawn for America -- full of hope and promise that would be fulfilled in the dawn of a new day.\nDespite being a controversial figure, President Reagan understood the difference between true enemies and partisan adversaries. Although he would disagree with congressional colleagues about how to tackle a certain issue, he always understood Democrats and Republicans were allie s in the same cause of freedom, determined to win the day in the face of adversity and tyranny. Today, the singular purpose of the American cause is lost in partisan rhetoric and the search for personal glory. \nWhile many students may dismiss Reagan as a lost relic of politics past, there are those of us who still remember the speeches, the ideals and the passion of the man who was a legend before his time. His humor, his honor and his love for the country will live forever in the heart of America. We will all miss Ronald Reagan.\nThere are those who would like to say he was just an actor -- unworthy to play the starring role on the world's stage. But Ronald Reagan was an activist and a charismatic leader unlike any other we have seen. He was a man whose principles preceded party loyalty or popular opinion to serve as the moral backbone of America. \nAmerica and the world shall forever be indebted to Ronald Wilson Reagan, the 40th president of the United States of America. He will be remembered as the man most singularly responsible for the end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the "Evil Empire," known to the world as the Soviet Union. He will be known as the "Great Communicator," along with many other accolades that may go unheralded and unlisted. His self-deprecating humor and unassuming personal style will allow him to enter the history books as one of the most notorious, yet beloved figures of the 20th century. \nAs unlikely as it may have been that the Midwestern son of an abusive alcoholic would become President of the U.S., it was more unlikely he will be one of the most revered statesmen of this nation in the past 150 years -- but he is.\nMay the many former Soviet republics which now celebrate their own independence thank Ronald Reagan. May the Germans once separated by that hideous, monstrous wall thank Ronald Reagan. May those of us who were brought up to believe the end of our lives would be at the discretion of the Soviet Union's nuclear arsenal thank Ronald Reagan. May the people and leaders of the modern free world thank Ronald Reagan. \nOn Saturday, the United States and the world lost a great citizen and leader -- perhaps the greatest American president of the 20th century -- Ronald Wilson Reagan. May he rest in peace.